K.M. Alexander's Blog, page 73

Friday Link Pack 02-06-2015

Hear ye, hear ye! Today is the day of Frigg, or as we now know it, Friday. That means it’s time to share a few links I’ve found over the last few days. Some of these I mention on Twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do! Have a link I should feature in the upcoming link pack? Click here to email me and let me know! All right, let’s get to it…

Writing:

Wordslingers: An Interview With K.M. Alexander

I’ve done a few interviews in the past. But I have to say my interview with S. Lee Benedict has to be one of my favorites. He asks me some of the best questions I’ve ever been asked during an interview, ended up being a lot of fun. Also make sure you check out Benedict’s own novel, The Heart Thief.

S. L. Huang On The Subject Of Unlikable Women Protagonists

Why do the unlikeable protagonists always have to be men? In her guest post for Chuck Wendig’s TerribleMinds, author S. L. Huang makes a case appealing for more varied female characters.

To Kill a Mockingbird sequel Go Set a Watchman coming in July

In what has been heralded as the greatest literary news of the year Harper Lee returns to literature after  55 years. And you thought George R. R. Martin was slow. (I can’t take credit for that joke, this fake GRRM twitter account can.)

Oh Noes, The Sky Is Falling

Despite the hand wringing from Publishers Weekly about the decline in science fiction sales, writer Amanda Green explains how science fiction isn’t dead, it’s more alive than ever. (Also, who cares what the Publisher’s Weekly frets about, tell the story you want to tell.)

The Real Science Of Science Fiction

Great piece from the The Guardian on the co-dependency between science and science fiction and how each influences the other.

Art:

Overlooked Details: An Artist’s Journey

A short documentary from filmmaker Scott Wilson about what it takes to be a creative. It’s not just talent. It will never be perfect. And success is not a destination. Starring my wife, Kari-Lise Alexander, our friend Steve Leroux, and even little ol’ me!

Sam Wolfe Connelly: Winter Selections

If you follow me on Pinterest you’ve seen some of Connelly’s incredible and creepy paintings before. Beautiful Bizarre Magazine highlights some of his latest works and some of his classic pieces. I love this stuff. [Thanks to Kari-Lise for sharing this with me.]

Random:

The Creepiest Things You Can Do on Facebook

Yep, this made me laugh. Also, filed under: things I’m going to try out with my sister-in-laws. (They don’t read my blog, so I’m safe.)

The NFL Cleanse

Over the course of a single week, Ruth Baron ate all sixty-two of the fast-food meals advertised during the playoffs. RIP Ruth Baron.

The Psychological Difference Between $12.00 And $11.67

A fascinating look at the effect of pricing on people. Something to consider when you price your own creative work perhaps?

Royalty, Espionage, and Erotica: Secrets of the World’s Tiniest Photographs

Photo Sharing isn’t a new concept apparently, eat your heart out Instagram.

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

The Crawling Chaos

“It is the end. They have come down through the gloaming from the stars. Now all is over, and beyond the Arinurian streams we shall dwell blissfully in Teloe.”

Opium’s a hell of a drug.

Gif of the Week:


Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: art, creepy, Facebook, Interview, kari-lise alexander, lovecraft, nfl, photography, pricing, sam wolfe connelly, Science Fiction, women protagonists, writing

It’s Been A Good Week

I started this blog to document my journey as I began writing. I’ve have always wanted it to be as candid and honest as possible. So I have made sure to share ups and downs, highs and lows. I have talked about my fear. I have talked about rejection. I have shared my successes. I want to let others out there know they’re not alone, we all struggle through this creative process. Through it all I have trudged forward, writing my strange little novels, and working to create the best books I can.

Well, something pretty amazing happened Monday, and to stay on theme I wanted to share it with everyone here. A few weeks ago I was able to secure a 99¢ promotion with Book Bub—a daily deal promotional site for ebooks. That promotion launched on Monday, and well… I sold a lot of books. A lot. I have nearly doubled my readership and as a result The Stars Were Right took off and began flying up the charts.

Then this happened:

Yep, that’s my book sitting next to Hugh Howey’s Wool on Amazon’s Best Sellers in Science Fiction Adventures list. It also ranked pretty high on a few other lists:

By Monday’s end I was feeling pretty overwhelmed, and excited, and flattered, and humbled. It’s incredible that so many folks took a chance on me and my book. I didn’t expect this. Sure, I expected a few sales, but nothing of this magnitude. Since this was a promotion it stuck around for about a day before slowly settling back down, but I had to share even my momentary rise with you.

I really look forward to hearing from all my new readers. I hope you thoroughly enjoy meeting Wal, exploring Lovat, and discovering just a small sliver of The Territories. Feel free to drop me a line at any time and let me know what you thought. There’s a lot more to come in The Bell Forging Cycle and I am glad to have more of you join me on this crazy adventure!

Filed under: News, The Stars Were Right, writing Tagged: amazon, bestseller, book bub, Hugh Howey, Milestones, sale, self-publishing, the bell forging cycle

Overlooked Details, An Artist’s Journey

It is here! It has arrived! I am so excited to share with you Overlooked Details: An Artist’s Journey, a documentary about my wife, Kari-Lise Alexander. I couldn’t be prouder of Kari-Lise and I am glad Scott Wilson gave her the opportunity to share her story. I think any creative will find her an inspiration. Full credits below the video. I recommend watching this full screen. Enjoy!

This is a story about resilience – about what it really takes to be an artist.

This is the story of Kari-Lise Alexander, an acclaimed oil painter whose work has been shown at international galleries. Along with her husband, author K.M. Alexander, and friend, woodworker Steve Leroux, Kari-Lise recounts her past and present struggles and shares what she’s learned along her journey. It’s not just talent. It will never be perfect. And success is not a destination.

Learn more about Kari-Lise’s work at: kari-lise.com

Learn more about the Emergence Series, of which this film is a part, at: emergence-series.com

FEATURING:

Kari-Lise Alexander (kari-lise.com)

K.M. Alexander (kmalexander.com)

Steve Leroux (rubypear.com)

Scott Moore (bellevuefineart.com)

Courtney Sievertson (wallflowercustomframing.com)

DIRECTION & EDITING:

Scott R. Wilson

CINEMATOGRAPHY:

Scott R. Wilson

Mark George

MUSIC:

“Rise (Snowfall Remix)” performed by Tony Anderson, Licensed through The Music Bed

“Aura” performed by Blue-Noise, Licensed through iStock

SPECIAL THANKS:

Bellevue Fine Art (bellevuefineart.com)

Wallflower Custom Framing (wallflowercustomframing.com)

University of Washington Communication Leadership

Allison Fine

Mark George

Alex Stonehill

Sarah Stuteville

Film Copyright © 2015 Seven Griddle Media LLC / Scott R. Wilson.

Art Copyright © 2015 Kari-Lise Alexander.

All Rights Reserved.

Filed under: Inspiration, Videos Tagged: art, creation, creative struggle, kari-lise alexander, overlooked details, Self-Doubt

Slight Delay With Overlooked Details

The internet is a fickle and restless monster, sometimes everything seems to be going swimmingly and in the next moment you’re having dropped connections and nothing is working. As a result we’ve seen a little delay in the documentary short, Overlooked Details, that I mentioned last week. It’s being fix and it should be available soon. Sorry about the delay! I know a few people have been asking. I’ll post when it’s live. (It’s worth the wait.)

Filed under: News Tagged: art, creation, creative struggle, Kari-Lise, overlooked details, Self-Doubt

THE STARS WERE RIGHT On Sale AGAIN For Only 99¢

If you’re a BookBub subscriber you have already hear this news. However, if you’re not I am very happy to announce that The Stars Were Right, Book One of The Bell Forging Cycle is on Sale again for only 99¢—yay!

Join Waldo Bell as he fights to clear his name while fleeing a mysterious evil through the multi-leveled megalopolis of Lovat. Grab your copy for any of these platforms:

Kindle • Kobo • Nook • iBooks • GooglePlay • DRM Free ePub

Sale ends February 14, then The Stars Were Right will return to it’s regular price of $2.99—which is still cheaper than that cup of coffee you bought at Starbucks.

Filed under: The Bell Forging Cycle, The Stars Were Right Tagged: 99¢, eBook, Lovat, sale, Urban Fantasy, Waldo Bell, weird fiction

Friday Link Pack 01-30-2014

Friday is upon us! It’s time to share a few links I’ve found over the last few days. Some of these I mention on Twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do! Have a link I should feature in the upcoming link pack? Click here to email me and let me know! All right, let’s get to it…

Writing:

What I Get Paid For My Novels: Or, Why I’m Not Quitting My Day Job

Novelist Kameron Hurley opens up and shares how much she has made on each of her books. It’s a fantastic post. Awesome to see transparency like this. I think this is good info for every author, indie or traditional, it helps set the record straight.

The Last Taboo: What One Writer Earns

I guess this week is about finances. Erotica writer Cara McKenna shares how much she makes from her writing. It’s cool to see more and more writers share like this. I think many new authors assume writing = huge payout which doesn’t match reality.

9 Famous Authors’ Favorite Workday Snacks

From Balzac, to King, to Lovecraft. Mental Floss compiles the go-to snacks when these famous authors had the munchies. (Spoiler, it’s a lot of coffee.)

How To Tell If You Are In A Soft Science Fiction Novel

The Toast shares some tips on how to know if the book you’re reading is soft sci-fi. [Thanks to Steve for sharing this one with me.]

Art:

Coming Soon: Overlooked Details

I’m really excited to announce the soon-to-be released documentary by filmmaker Scott Wilson focusing on my wife, Kari-Lise Alexander (if you haven’t seen her work, you should check it out.)

Bailey Henderson’s Sculptures

You know those strange monsters on old maps? Well, Toronto based sculpture artist Bailey Henderson creates beautiful and highly detailed sculptures based on those very creatures. [Thanks again goes to Steve for this submission as well.]

The Art Of Marissa Buschow

Artist and biologist Marissa Buschow makes beautiful moku hanga pieces (traditional woodblock printing using water based pigments) based on birds she studies as a biologist. It’s stunning stuff. You can buy her work here.

Random:

If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say, SAY IT IN ALL CAPS

This American Life knocked it out of the park with last weeks show. Especially the piece from Lindy West about confronting an internet troll who harassed her and then later apologized. Fantastic episode.

Interactive Map of Earth’s Vegetation Rendered Through NASA Satellite

Beautiful. NOAA recently released this map, utilizing a year’s worth of data, and rendering all the plant life on earth. Zoom in and check out your neighborhood.

Weather Map Freakout

Amusing video of a weather report after the map freaks out and reports unusually high temperatures.

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

He

“I saw him on a sleepless night when I was walking desperately to save my soul and my vision…”

Gif of the Week:

#GOHAWKS

Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: bailey henderson, cara mckenna, finances, Kameron Hurley, kari-lise alexander, lovecraft, marissa buschow, monsters, old maps, scott wilson, Seahawks, snacks, soft sci-fi

Coming Soon: Overlooked Details

Been keeping this under wraps for a while, but the time has come! I’m happy to announce the upcoming release of Overlooked Details, An Artist’s Journey a documentary film by Scott Wilson focusing on my amazing and talented wife, Kari-Lise Alexander. The 15 minute documentary will be available to watch next Monday, February 2nd. I couldn’t be more excited.

Last November Kari-Lise was approached by Scott, a local filmmaker and creator of the Emergence Series. It was initially supposed to be pretty short, but over the course of the filming it eventually grew into a 15 minute focus on Kari-Lise’s journey, the creation of art, and the struggles associated within. I cannot wait to share it with everyone. Scott is an incredible filmmaker and really captured Kari-Lise’s story, her passion, and her philosophy. It’s beautiful, it’s encouraging, and I’ll be posting it when it launches.

Until it launches, enjoy the poster:

Filed under: News Tagged: art, creation, creative struggle, Kari-Lise, overlooked details, Self-Doubt

The Route Is Open

Yay! News! After some late nights and some web work I loathe doing I am excited to announce the launch of The Bell Forging Cycle website. The plan is to make this the central location for Wal’s story and the world of the Territories. It’s nice to finally see it up and running. It’ll be fun to watch it expand as I write the next four books in the series. (Aiming for a total of six.)

You can check it out by clicking on the image above or by hitting up: bellforgingcycle.kmalexander.com. I’ll be adding some more cool stuff over the next few months. Thanks everyone for the support, and a big thank you to the folks who helped me with this project. Tell your friends!

Filed under: News, The Bell Forging Cycle Tagged: launch, Old Broken Road, Red Litten World, territories, The Stars Were Right, Waldo Bell, website

Friday Link Pack 01-23-2014

Friday! It’s time to share a few links I’ve found over the last few days. Some of these I mention on Twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do! Have a link I should feature in the upcoming link pack? Click here to email me and let me know! All right, let’s do this…

Writing:

The Punctuation Guide

Handy little resource on the usage of various punctuation. Especially helpful at 2 AM when your exhaustion raddled brain can’t remember specific rules.

Neil Gaiman’s 8 Rules Of Writing

I’ve featured Elmore Leonard’s rules and I mention Heinlein’s rules occasionally. It’s always good to read the advice of others and adapt it to you own process. Gaiman’s are good. I bet you can guess the first one.

National Readathon Day Is Coming. Get Involved!

Tomorrow, January 24th, between 2pm—4pm (in your respective time zone), do what you always do and get lost in a book. Only this time help raise some money for the National Book Foundation and help them raise awareness for reading and fight illiteracy.

Random:

Science Fiction Interfaces

A tumblr blog examining the interfaces used in sci-fi movies and television. A great collection also handy for research purposes.

Living Lovecraft: The Real World Locations Behind The Horror

Great article from Atlas Obscura guiding you through the real world locations from Lovecraft’s stories from Ireland to asylums to Micronesia.

Map Stack

Cool little interface allowing you to make super customizable maps for anywhere in the world. [Thanks to Todd for sharing this.]

A City In The Glacier

A semi-permanent structure is being built into the Langjökull Glacier in Iceland. Too cool. (rimshot) Someone set a story here, please!

Someone Stole Naked Pictures Of Me. This Is What I Did About It

(Heads up, video is NSFW after 2:05) “Four years ago, intimate photographs of journalist Emma Holten were posted on the web. Thousands viewed them and she still receives online harassment. The issues of revenge porn and hacked photos are part of a larger problem with our relationship to consent, she argues. So Holten decided to pose for and release a new set of pictures of her body. Here she explains why.” I cannot imagine dealing with harassment like that for years afterwards. Makes me sick to my stomach.  [Thanks to Lola for sharing this one.]

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

Collapsing Cosmoses

This short story co-written with R. H. Barlow features strange alien creatures and, shockingly, a growing threat of impending doom.

Gif of the Week:

Filed under: Link Pack Tagged: iceland, interfaces, langjökull glacier, lovecraft, national readathon day, Neil Gaiman, punctuation

Wal’s Tale Has A Title

For a while I have been mulling over a title for my current series. There’s a lot of reasons I waited (most of them boring) but the time has finally come. January has been an amazing month for me and I have seen a enormous influx of new readers. As more of you keep reading my books (thank you) and I move closer to releasing book three, Red Litten World, I realized that it’s time to name Wal’s tale.

After some musing, a quick discussion with my editor, and a few conversations with some friends, I am happy to say I have finally landed on the name. Introducing:

The Bell Forging Cycle

It’s funny how something so simple can take so long to brainstorm. But here we are, I love it and for many reasons. The ideas hinted at works on a lot of levels and it’s not another generic series title like Waldo Bell Book #1. I plan on writing more about those concepts at a later date (let me release a few more books before I reveal all my cards.) Until then I’ll let you speculate away.

Filed under: My Books, The Bell Forging Cycle Tagged: Old Broken Road, Red Litten World, The Stars Were Right, Waldo Bell